Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); January 26, 2025: Political prisoners Behrouz Ehsani and Mehdi Hassani were transferred from Evin to an unknown location for their executions this morning. They were sentenced to death for charges of "moharebeh and baghy through membership of Mojahedin Organisation."
Warning of the danger of the imminent execution of Behrouz Ehsani and Mehdi Hassani and other death row prisoners accused of having ties to the People’s Mojahedin Organisation of Iran (MEK), in the future, Iran Human Rights calls for an urgent response from the international community to save their lives.
IHRNGO Director, Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam said: “In recent days, officials of the Islamic Republic have linked the murders of Judges Moghisseh and Razini to MEK, paving the way for the execution of prisoners associated with the organisation. For this reason, the risk of these prisoners' execution is very serious. We call on the international community, human rights organisations, and the people of Iran to increase the political cost of these executions through their efforts."
Left to right: Mehdi Hassani, 48, and Behrouz Ehsani, 69
According to information obtained by IHRNGO, political prisoners Behrouz Ehsani, 69, and Mehdi Hassani, 48, were transferred from Wards 4 and 8 of Evin Prison to an unknown location on 26 January 2025. The two men were arrested at the height of the “Woman, Life, Freedom” nationwide protests in 2022, and they were notified of their death sentences on the second anniversary of the protests in September 2024.
An informed source told IHRNGO: “They were transferred to solitary confinement and are scheduled to be executed in the coming days.”
Behrouz and Mehdi were sentenced to death for charges of baghy (armed rebellion) and moharebeh (enmity against god) through “membership in Mojahedin Organisation and collecting classified information” by Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court. They were notified that their sentence had been upheld by the Supreme Court in early January.
In a Twitter post, Behrouz Ehsani’s lawyer, Mostafa Nili wrote: “The retrial request for Behrouz Ehsani Eslamilu was registered last week and was referred to one of the Supreme Court branches yesterday, on Saturday. According to the Note to Article 478 of the Criminal Procedure Code, given the type of punishment, an order to suspend the execution of the sentence must be issued.”
It is crucial to note that the Islamic Republic has a history of carrying out execution sentences while appeals were still pending at the Supreme Court. Kurdish political prisoners Firuz Musalu and Heydar Ghorbani were two such cases in recent times.
According to Amnesty, they were subjected to torture and other ill-treatment, including prolonged solitary confinement, to force them to make self-incrimnating confessions. Their Revolutionary Court trial was also grossly unfair.
Behrouz and Mehdi were members of the “No Death Penalty Tuesdays” abolitionist campaign when they received the death penalty themselves in the 34th week of the campaign.